Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology
Professor of Pharmaceutics, OSU College of Pharmacy
Associate Director for Translational Research, OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center
Recent News:
“Vicious Circle” Offers New Acute Leukemia Treatment Target
What do you like best about practicing medicine at OSU Medical Center?
For a physician-scientist like myself, this Medical Center is an ideal place to work because the academic, research and clinical missions are regarded as fundamental and equally important for pursuing a society free of deadly diseases such as cancer.
What excites you most about the future of medicine?
The possibility of integrating emerging ideas and techniques from scientific fields outside of medicine into the practice of medicine. In my daily work, I discuss research projects not only with clinicians and biologists, but also with statisticians, pharmacologists, chemists, physicists and engineers. I believe that engaging in such discussions and collaborations with researchers from diverse disciplines will allow us to make more rapid progress in
medicine and oncology.
How do you think P4 Medicine (medicine that is more predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory) will change your specialty over the next 10 years?
It will revolutionize our approaches to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer by allowing us to design treatment regimens based on the molecular features of individual patients and to develop rational strategies for preventing recurrence.
Name one of your medical career mentors and what you learned from him/her.
Dr. Clara D. Bloomfield has been my mentor and collaborator for the last 15 years. She is a world-renowned expert in acute myeloid leukemia. I learned from her a disciplined approach to problem-solving and to the relentless search for novel concepts that shift scientific paradigms. I cannot thank Dr. Bloomfield enough for being a role model for me and for teaching me the importance of knowing the details in order to understand the whole.
What advice do you have for young physicians early in their careers?
To do their work with passion and in the sole interest of their patients, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Who in history would you most like to meet and why?
Albert Einstein. He revolutionized our perceptions of reality using only the power of his mind and creativity. His scientific predictions could not be demonstrated during his days, but since then they have been proven right as adequate technologies have become available.
What are your hobbies or volunteer activities? What has been your greatest accomplishment outside of your work?
My hobby is learning things that are not directly related to medicine, but that one day may show new ways to approach biological and medical problems. For example, I am learning some basic elements of quantum mechanics that disclose probabilistic rather than deterministic aspects of reality. It is fascinating how physics can describe true features of our world that are so different from how we perceive them. My greatest accomplishments outside of medicine are my seven children. I must thank my wife, Michelle, for this.
Rising Star: Ramiro Garzon, MD, assistant professor of Hematology, is an inquisitive, intelligent and, most importantly, passionate young physician-scientist who focuses on the role of microRNAs in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). His perseverance in discussing with me the possible role of microRNAs, a newly discovered category of genes, in AML has persuaded me to pursue this line of research in my lab with very interesting results that could lead to new ways of classifying and treating this disease.
CV summary
Medical Degree: Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
Internship: State University of New York at Buffalo
Residency: State University of New York at Buffalo
Fellowship: Roswell Park Cancer Institute
National Offices or Board Positions:
• Cancer and Leukemia Group B, Leukemia Correlative Science Committee chair, National Cancer Institute
• Cancer and Leukemia Group B, Leukemia Committee, cadre member, National Cancer Institute
• National Cancer Institute Leukemia Steering Committee Working Group for Acute Myeloid Leukemia
• National Comprehensive Cancer Network, treatment guidelines for neutropenic fever and for acute myeloid leukemia
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, ad hoc proposal reviewer and special emphasis panel member
• National Cancer Institute ad hoc grant proposal reviewer
Research Interests: Biology of acute leukemia; drug development in acute leukemia; the pathogenesis, treatment and prognostic assessment of acute myeloid leukemia.
There aren’t enough words to describe how awesome Dr. Marcucci is. He helped save my life. He’s a wonderful wonderful person who goes beyond the distance to save lives. He’s just…GREAT! Oh, he does a mean bone marrow biopsy too